The Loss of Something Dear
by Raikana Sakaro
Summary: Yet another background story, this time about a Corellian Character. I hope This doesn't seem too annoying.


**Disclaimers:** This story is a piece of fanfiction written for pleasure, not profit. George Lucas owns the Star Wars Universe and I am glad that I can write about it. Celeste Jade Skywalker and Chuck Raider are original characters thought up by me and my friends for this Squadron.

**Note:** This is yet another of my background stories. Maybe, someday, I'll get around to finishing the real stories about Nova Squadron. Until then, enjoy.  
  
**_The Loss of Something Dear_**  
  
Chuck hitched his backpack higher on his shoulders as he hiked through the jungles on Yavin 4. He looked up at the sky and saw that the planet had already set and the sun was close to the horizon. _I'll have to set up camp soon,_ he thought. He opened himself to the Force and let it guide him. He soon stopped in front of a Massassi tree that had a wider trunk than the rest. Looking up, he saw that there was a hole in the trunk large enough for him to sleep in. He took a rope out of his pack and slung it over a branch near the hole. He tested it to see if it would hold his weight before he started his ascent.  
After he climbed onto the branch, he took the rope off the branch and wound it up, replacing it in his backpack. He peered into the hole, but saw nothing in there. He lowered himself over the lip of the opening and settled on the floor. Taking off his backpack, he rummaged around in it for the ration bars he'd packed.  
He finished eating and pulled out his silver thermal blanket before putting his bag under his head, curling into a ball as he pulled the blanket over himself. He was soon fast asleep.  
As he slept, he had a very disturbing dream.  
_He stood in a secluded clearing on Yavin 4, stretching in preparation for a run. Just as he was about to head out, the sun was blacked out. He looked up to find out why the sun had stopped shining and saw that there was a huge sheet of black inching across the sky. Suddenly, a comparatively small piece of darkness broke away from the rest and came towards him. He took his lightsaber off his belt and ignited it. It's warm, bronze light illuminated his surroundings for a few meters, but the shadow that flew at him remained pitch-black. He sliced his lightsaber at it as it came toward him, but the two halves kept flying and doubled back to attack him again. Calming himself, he faced them and bisected each of them. Again, the two halves became separate entities unto themselves. He continued slashing at them, succeeding only in making many smaller pockets of black. They finally got too small for him to slice and he heard a high-pitched shriek before the darkness enveloped him._  
He woke up sweating and gasping. He threw the blanket off himself as he tried to figure out what his dream had meant. The sense of dread he'd felt hadn't dissipated and only worsened when he heard the same piercing shriek that he'd heard in his dream. He pulled his lightsaber off his belt as he climbed out of the hole and onto the wide branch. He assumed a fighting stance as he ignited it. Just like his dream, it's warm light spilled for a few meters around him, but this time the silhouette had a shape; a hideous shape. It's round body was covered with black feathers and the two legs that extended from the body ended in claws tipped with razor-sharp talons the glinted gold in the ligtsaber's light. It stayed aloft by flapping its large, leathery wings, the breeze blowing his shoulder-length, red hair around his face. It had a long segmented tail that was topped by a stinger dripping liquid. The two necks, on the opposite end of the body as the legs and tail, seemed to lack bones as they twined about each other. Another screech issued from the mouth of one of its two heads. He'd heard Tionne tell stories about Master Skywalker being attacked by two of these creatures.  
Giving yet another cry, it flew at him, stinger extended and glistening with what he assumed was poison. He sliced, taking off the stinger, but the poison that had been contained now spurted out. It spun in mid-air and flew toward him again, snapping one of its sharp beaks at his face. He reared his head back and cut, taking off one of its heads. It's blood squirted on him, staining his robes. Again, it wheeled and attacked. This time he decided to try killing it. He twisted his lightsaber and stabbed at where its heart should be. He hit his mark, but the stubborn creature kept on going. It twisted down, slicing the air with its claws. He felt a flash of pain from his leg and moved his lightsaber up, completely bisecting it. He also managed to slice off its other head before the halves fell, unable to fly with only one wing.  
He looked down at his leg and saw torn flesh, broken bones and lots of blood. He also saw that his leg was gone from the knee down. He carefully bent down so that he was standing on his arms and one remaining leg. He slowly made his way back to the hole and lowered himself to a sitting position on his blanket. Opening his bag, he took out the meager first-aid kit he'd packed and retrieved the bandage and cleaners from it. He spread the cleaners on his injury, wincing as they touched raw flesh, and carefully bandaged the stump of his leg. Then he took another ration bar out of his sack and tried to eat despite his nausea, but it soon made another appearance. He gave up on the idea of eating and curled up to sleep. As he fell asleep, he wondered how he would get back to the Great Temple.  
When he awoke the next morning, Chuck reached for his chrono to see what time it was. He jolted fully awake when he realized that his first class started in a few minutes. He tried to stand up, but promptly fell to the ground. That was when the events of the previous night rushed into his mind. The fight with the creature and the loss of his leg. He fished another ration bar out of his pack and ate it, managing to keep it down, but he still didn't want to push it since he still felt queasy. Since he couldn't walk back home, he sat back against the wall and tried to put himself into a healing trance.  
  
Celeste hiked through the jungles, leading the search party that had been deployed to find her friend, Chuck Raider. He had gone on a camping trip into the jungle yesterday and he'd been gone for much too long. She stopped, reached out through the Force and reoriented herself on his weak life-signature. Using her meager diagnostic skills, she could tell that he was in shock and very weak.  
Soon, she reached a tree and stopped to reorient herself, but his life-sign was right above her. She levitated herself to a large branch and walked across it to look in a large hole. She saw him laying there, his eyes closed, trying to heal himself. Her gaze wandered down his body and saw that bloody bandages surrounded what was left of his leg. Carefully, without waking him, she changed the bandage and put his things back into his knapsack. She slung his bag over her own shoulder and levitated him out of the hole. She lowered herself to the jungle floor before levitating him off the branch and onto a repulsor gurney to take him back to the temple.  
  
Chuck woke up to see the stone walls of the Jedi Academy. _Wasn't I in the jungle?_ He looked down at his legs. _And didn't I lose a leg?_  
The door opened to reveal Celeste. She walked in and sat next to his bed. "How do you feel?"  
"Like I was trampled by a ronta."  
"I don't think that's what happened."  
He shook his head. "No. I was attacked by one of those things that tried to kill Master Skywalker about sixty, seventy years back." As he spoke, he projected an image of the creature into her mind.  
She shuddered at the sight of it. "When we found you, you were in shock and fading fast. We brought you back here and stuck you in the bacta tank."  
"I thought I'd lost a leg."  
"You did. That one's a prosthetic. It's attached, but we wanted you awake to power it up a test it."  
"I'm awake. What are we waiting for?"  
Celeste left and returned a few moments later with the academy's 2-1B droid. It opened a panel just below his knee and put two power cells in. It left the panel open as it put him through tests to see if it was functioning properly. When it administered the reflex test, he kicked it so hard it flew to the opposite wall. "I believe your prosthetic is functioning above normal, sir," it informed him. "You are free to go."  
Chuck stood up and, taking Celeste's hand, went to the roof of the Great Temple. There, they watched Yavin's primary set, followed shortly after by Yavin. The sky faded from blue to black and the stars glittered like Corsuca gems on black velvet.  
_I survived,_ he thought. _Against all odds, I survived._ Then, smiling wryly, he added, _But Corellians always beat impossible odds._


End file.
